Niao Ni
Chapter 159: The Second Prince
Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng, the Prince of Jing’s son, arrived at the riverbank chatting and laughing. Guards took their horses, and after a brief show of courtesy, they boarded the pleasure boat. Fan Xian wore a smile, but in his heart, he sighed. This prince seemed to be a man of refined tastes, but he wondered why he wasn't content to simply be a prince and instead had to stir up so much trouble in Qing.
As Fan Xian's foot was about to step onto the slightly damp wooden plank of the boat, he suddenly heard the sound of a plucked zither string from inside the boat. It was not aggressive, but rather filled with sincerity and a desire for tranquility, and the melody began to rise.
"Having left the green hills and waters behind, I arrived early at the thatched cottage with the bamboo fence. Wildflowers bloom by the roadside, and village wine is pressed at the trough. I drink until I'm tipsy. The mountain boy doesn't try to stop me; I randomly stick yellow flowers in my white hair."
A smile bloomed on Fan Xian's lips as he walked in side-by-side with Li Hongcheng. Listening to the carefree and somewhat playful melody, he became even more curious about the kind of person the Second Prince was.
The beaded curtain was lifted, and inside, a young man dressed in a blue silk robe was sitting in a strange posture on a chair. His head was slightly tilted, his eyes were closed, and a look of contentment was on his face as he listened attentively to the soft singing of a female entertainer in the corner.
Without asking, it was obvious that this young man was the Second Prince, born to the current Emperor of Qing and the Consort Shu.
The Second Prince's posture was indeed very peculiar. He was half-squatting on the chair, resembling a farmer resting in a field. The blue silk robe covered his legs, but what was even more remarkable was that the expression of rapture on his face, his delicate features, and his entire being radiated a sense of serenity and tranquility, as if he had long grown weary of everything around him, of this world, and only found solace in the music.
Fan Xian's first thought upon seeing the Second Prince was: This person feels so familiar. His second thought was: This person is very tired, his heart is very tired. His third thought was: This person's mind is very heavy. He trusted his ability to read people, but the current scene was a bit awkward. He glanced at Li Hongcheng, who had already quietly chosen a chair and sat down, while he stood in the middle, looking at the Second Prince without knowing how to greet him.
The Second Prince seemed to be only focused on listening to the music, forgetting about his guest. Of course, given his status, it was natural for him to make others wait.
Finally, the song came to a melodious end. The female entertainer held her zither horizontally and gracefully bowed to the three men in the hall before silently retreating to the back room.
The Second Prince, however, seemed to still be immersed in the music and the singer's voice. He remained lost in thought for a long time, still with his eyes closed, his right hand hovering in the air, slowly moving towards the plate of grapes on the table. He pinched the grape stem with two fingers, lifted a bunch, raised it high, placed it in the air like a child, looked up, opened his lips, closed his teeth, and slowly bit off an extremely green grape. He chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and his throat moved beautifully twice, as if even eating a grape was a very enjoyable experience.
Fan Xian remained calm and composed, watching the prince with a smile. His eyes were peaceful, but he did not miss any of the prince's small gestures. He was trying to figure out what kind of person the prince was.
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After a long while, the Second Prince sighed and gropingly placed the grapes back on the plate. Only then did he slowly open his eyes. He seemed to realize that his guest had already arrived on the boat. A strange smile flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his lips slightly curved, revealing a shy smile.
Fan Xian's heart stirred. The feeling of familiarity grew stronger.
The Second Prince quietly looked at Fan Xian standing before him and suddenly asked, "Now that you're here, why don't you sit?"
Li Hongcheng was sitting beside them, sipping tea with a smile, not saying anything to help Fan Xian. Fan Xian returned a gentle smile, cupped his fist, and bowed to the Second Prince, "With the Prince above, I dare not sit without paying my respects."
The Second Prince smiled and looked at Fan Xian, saying, "I didn't greet you, so you don't need to pay your respects to me."
Fan Xian laughed, "Your Highness doesn't need to greet your subject, but your subject must pay respects to Your Highness."
The Second Prince shook his head with a smile, casually wiping the grape juice from his right hand on his blue silk robe, and said, "There are only my brother Hongcheng and I on this boat, plus you, my brother-in-law. Where are there princes and subjects?"
Fan Xian chuckled, cupped his hands, and didn't say anything more. He sat down on the chair opposite Li Hongcheng. Since the Second Prince liked to play the role of a man of renown, even though he wasn't good at it, he could always ride the sedan chair.
In fact, there was nothing too profound in the few sentences they had exchanged, but Fan Xian felt very strange, because the Second Prince spoke very slowly, and the rhythm of his speech was always half a beat slower than most people. So when talking to him, one always felt that the other person's speech was somewhat sudden. And what Fan Xian found even more interesting was that the more he looked at the Second Prince, the more familiar he felt, but he didn't know where this familiarity came from. He was sure it wasn't because of Wan'er.
"This pleasure boat was built with my money. What do you think of it?" The Second Prince seemed eager to know Fan Xian's feelings about the boat. Fan Xian smiled wryly and then took a closer look at the boat's interior. He found that whether it was the layout or the green potted plants in the corners, or the calligraphy and paintings hanging diagonally, the pleasure boat didn't look like a pleasure boat at all, but rather like a study. He shook his head and said with a smile, "Your Highness's pleasure boat is too quiet. It doesn't suit the word 'flower' at all."
The Second Prince smiled faintly, looked up at him, and said, "Quiet is good."
Fan Xian suddenly felt that this kind of conversation was a bit boring and difficult. He was about to cast a look of help to the familiar Li Hongcheng when he heard the Prince of Jing's son's timely words.
"I say, can you two stop talking so tiringly?" Li Hongcheng said with a smile, interrupting them.
The Second Prince chuckled and said to Fan Xian, "See? Don't think that all of us royal family members are boring people. Besides, you are now married to Wan'er and are considered family. You should visit each other more often in the future."
Li Hongcheng jokingly interjected before Fan Xian could speak, "Our Prince's mansion is fine, but you are a dignified Second Prince. Visiting each other can be dangerous."
All three knew that this was referring to the assassination attempt on Fan Xian on Niulan Street by Northern Qi assassins on his way to the Second Prince's banquet a few months ago. The three looked at each other, and thinking of the past few months, they couldn't help but feel a sense of inexplicable emotion and laughed in unison.
Once the laughter subsided, that matter was considered to be over. Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "Although the Second Prince didn't set up a Hongmen banquet, having to risk such great danger to eat a meal is indeed terrifying."
The Second Prince and Li Hongcheng were slightly taken aback when they heard the words "Hongmen banquet," but they hid their reactions well. They had naturally never heard of this allusion, but due to their noble status, they naturally couldn't ask about it. The Second Prince smiled slightly and said, "Don't call me Your Highness. Just call me Second Brother like Wan'er does."
Fan Xian's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a little troubled in his heart. Getting too close...there seemed to be some problems. As if guessing what he was worried about, the Second Prince, with his hands resting on his knees, still half-squatting, smiled and said, "Don't be too cautious about everything. Wan'er is a treasure in the palace. You must remember that you now have an elder brother who is playing on horseback in the west, and I, your second brother, am still hiding in the Hanlin Academy compiling books. As for the Third Prince, you should be even closer to him. Having more relatives, is that really so annoying to you?"
Fan Xian smiled, thinking that these royal relatives were of course the source of great trouble, and replied, "This is my blessing, but it does feel a bit impolite not to address you as Your Highness."
The Second Prince said with a wry smile, "Ask Wan'er when you get home how she calls me."
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After the pleasantries, the banquet began. The table was full of seasonal vegetables and delicate side dishes, which Fan Xian ate with great pleasure. He had already formulated his strategy, so after becoming familiar with the situation, he had already relaxed his mind. The three of them casually chatted about people and events in the capital, and works of former sages, and got along very well.
The Second Prince was indeed deeply influenced by Consort Shu and had a deep understanding of literature. He and Fan Xian sang in harmony and were quite compatible. Li Hongcheng, on the other hand, talked about the wonderful news between the ladies and couldn't help but mention the glorious achievements of Count Sinan, Fan Jian, in those years. Once the topic of conversation between men started, although the Second Prince and Fan Xian were not able to join in easily, the atmosphere was successfully enlivened. Fan Xian, however, hid his own abilities, only talking about stories from Danzhou and what he had seen and heard along the way.
After the meal, the Second Prince and Fan Xian each gained something and bid farewell with smiles.
The Second Prince did not see them off and remained squatting on the chair. For most of the time, he had maintained this posture without moving. He watched the figures of Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng disappear at the entrance of the pleasure boat before sighing softly.
"How does Your Highness see this young Lord Fan?" A loyal follower of the Second Prince asked respectfully.
The Second Prince smiled slightly and said, "This brother-in-law of mine is too cautious. He doesn't have the slightest bit of the pride and arrogance that Qing people have cultivated in their bones for decades. To be honest, I really doubt if the Fan who went mad with poetry at the night banquet is the same person I met today."
After saying this, he habitually lowered his head and reached out to touch the bunch of green grapes on the side. When the follower saw this, he knew that the Second Prince was again thinking about some extremely important national affairs and dared not disturb him, so he quickly and silently retreated out the door.
After a long while, the Second Prince slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion. In fact, he wasn't thinking about any national affairs at all, but was still thinking about the "Hongmen banquet" that Fan Xian had mentioned at the beginning. He had been reciting classics with his mother since he was a child, but he still couldn't remember what this "Hongmen banquet" allusion was.
"Brother-in-law is indeed knowledgeable. It seems I have to go back and check the books."
The Second Prince closed his white teeth and crushed the green grapes in his mouth. The juice was sour and sweet.